Take Back the Night
October 2008
Schedule of Events

Take Back the Night is an annual event at Wesleyan University
and college campuses nationwide to raise awareness about sexual violence.

Planned by the Take Back the Night Planning Committee
with support from WesWELL and the Peer Health Advocates

Volunteers wanted to help with planning; meetings are Mondays at 9pm.
Contact Carolyn Ariori or Liz Weisman.

Click on an event or activity for more information:

• Take Back the Night Convocation
• Take Back the Night Rally & March
  • Post-March Debriefing Sessions
  • Office of Behavioral Health Hours
  • Narrative Submissions
• How to Help a Friend who has experience Sexual Assault
• Self Defense Workshop
• Recruitment for "Unspeakable Acts"
• Resources

Curious about what Take Back the Night means? Come to the Convocation, where we will discuss the history and importance of Take Back the Night at Wesleyan and answer any questions you may have about the event. Femnet will be there to talk about current changes being made to Wesleyan's sexual assault policies. There will be free food!

Take Back the Night Rally & March
Thursday, October 16th at 7:00pm
Steps of Olin Library

Take Back the Night is an annual event at Wesleyan University and college campuses nationwide to raise awareness about sexual violence.  This event is an opportunity for the Wesleyan community to gather in support of survivors of sexual violence and for those survivors to share their stories in a safe space. The concept behind "taking back the night" is that the night should be safe for everyone. 

Beginning with a rally at the steps of Olin at 7:00pm on Thursday, October 16th, we will march to several locations on campus for speak-out circles (which will include the reading of any narrative submissions received), concluding with a candlelight vigil.  Everyone is encouraged to attend and participate in this important and powerful event.       

Post-March Debriefing Sessions
Thursday, October 16th
10:30pm to Midnight (after the conclusion of the March)
Hewitt Lounge and Butt A Lounge

Join a post-march debriefing session to process what you have experienced at the Take Back the Night March and heard in the Speakout Circles. Trained advocates from the Women & Families Center will be on hand to lead the discussions in these designated safe spaces.

The Office of Behavioral Health for Students

OBHS will be open during the march on Thursday night for any student who wishes to speak confidentially with a therapist. Enter the Davison Health Center from Parking Lot N (between the Health Center and Malcolm X House). After the march concludes, students may contact the 24-hour on-call therapist by calling 860-685-2910 and following the voicemail prompts, or call during regular business hours to schedule an appointment.

In order to represent the voices of those who may not be otherwise heard, we are seeking written submissions of narratives from those who have experienced sexual assault or been impacted by sexual violence. The content of the narrative is entirely up to the author and will not be edited before being read.

Narratives will be read anonymously on the author's behalf at a Speakout Circle during the TBTN March. The readers will be sensitive and respectful to the author's experience and will avoid reading the narratives dramatically.

If you wish to submit a narrative, please send it by email to weswell@wesleyan.edu or through campus mail to WesWELL, Davison Health Center by noon on Thursday, October 16th. While all submissions will remain confidential and anonymous, you may choose to send it from a non-Wesleyan email account that does not identify you in any manner.

Come talk with a trained sexual assault crisis advocate, Erin Clark '09, to find out how to support a friend who has experienced sexual assault. Milk & cookies will be served!

Join Alex Gold '10 for this workshop on practical self defense techniques. Additional details coming soon!

WesWELL is recruiting current Wesleyan students to perform in the "Unspeakable Acts" skits on sexual assault and relationship violence during New Student Orientation. Click here for more information on getting involved.

If you are interested in learning more about sexual violence and related issues, please click on the following links:

• Sexual Assault & Relationship Violence
• Emotional Abuse
• Wesleyan Sexual Assault Resources for Students (.pdf brochure)
• Take Back the Night (international organization)

If you wish to speak to someone in a confidential setting, please contact:

• Office of Behavioral Health for Students, 860.685.2910
  Davison Health Center, 327 High Street
  www.wesleyan.edu/obhs/
  On-call therapist available 24/7; call 685.2910 and follow the voicemail prompts.
   
• Women & Families Center (Middletown)
  www.womenfamilies.org
  Connecticut Statewide 24 Hour Toll Free Hotline
  • 1-888-999-5545 English
  • 1-888-568-8332 Espanol
     
• The Network/La Red
  Ending abuse in lesbian, bisexual women's and transgender communities
  www.thenetworklared.org/

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revised 12/10/2008